I received this book for free from Reviewer Purchase in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.

A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette’s first love…and first betrayal.

But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.

Short and Sweet Review

These Violent Delights follow Juliette and Roma in the year 1926 in Shanghai. Both Roma and Juliette are involved in their families gangs and are the heirs, Juliette belongs to the Scarlet Gang and Roma to the White Flowers. Something strange is happening in Shanghai and people are claiming there’s a madness going around that’s causing people to kill themselves. Roma and Juliette have a history they were in a forbidden romance that ended in betrayal, now they spend their days staying away from each other. As the death toll increases Roma and Juliette realize they’ll have to work together to stop whatever is happening before neither of them can be the ruler of Shanghai.

This was such a different a unique take on Romeo and Juliette but it worked. I wasn’t sure how much I would like the gang aspect but I think with the setting and time it worked.

Juliette is the heir of the Scarlet gang and she’s sometimes not taken seriously by her family members mainly because of the fact that she’s a girl but she’s tough and willing to do what she needs to for the gang. Over the course of the book she kind of drops the ball on her duties but only because she’s out investigating the madness. Juliettes right hand women consist of her cousins, Kathleen and Rosalind although Kathleen seems to be more of a ride or die kind of person while Rosalind questions Juliettes choices.

Roma is the heir of the White flowers although his dad prefers someone else in the gang. Roma’s right hand guys are his cousin Benedikt and his friend Marshall. Roma is more willing to work with Juliette than she is to work with him. After Romas sister Alisa gets infected with the madness its basically a race against the clock to find who’s causing the madness and to find a cure. I will say that reading about these people ripping and tearing at their throats was brutal and kind of graphic.

I liked seeing Roma and Juliette sneak around the city so that their gangs wouldn’t know their working together. It also gave us an insight on their past and what went wrong but they really do make a good team. I liked seeing their right hands go on separate missions to follow other leads. The ending was so good and it just makes you want the second book in your hand to find out what’s going to happen next. I love these two characters but after this ending I wonder how they’re going to handle everything and I can’t wait to find out!